The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1887-09-08
FRED WAS FORGIVE.


frederick Morton. Esq. . Pe:crhor.
ough Court, London. +. G.. in hai>ta,'
was the superscripticn. and the post.
mark was that of IN Obscure hamlet ;
hundred miles away from the gloomy,
ovcrheated metropolis that slewcl and
fretted itself into Il dismal condition Of
damp sickness on that hot and mugg,
day.
Fred Morton mopped his bearded
brow a. lie entered his ..dcn'' after 4
laborious struggle with the stairs.
What is % rare as a day in June?'
he sighed patiently. Il suppose that
fhrty-one days in June would be even
a rarcr phenomenon ii the truth could
be known. Hullo. What this. busi-
ness letter? Well that's rarcr than the
rarcst day Madam Juno ever owned. :
Fred Morton seldom achieved a
triumph of Il business letter. Regular
ly. once 4 month. came the precise
looking missiye from his maternal
aunt. with the somewhat liberal remit
lance for his current expenses. always
seasoned with much good advice Of
that sort which npholds the mortiiica-
ton of the flesh. Occasional ilyaway
notes from other relatives, and fire.
quent short but touching appeals to
his too apparent liberality from well
wishers who desired loans of carefully
considered sums, made up the extent OF
his usual mail receipts.
This letter, with its stamp on the
wrong corner and is ill-spelled evidence
of desire for immediate attention, did
not strike Fred as being likely to play
any importan, par, IN his future. Ike
picked il mp, and specializing lazily a.
provocation il was written, he opened
it and read as follows:
WoLyERToN, June S.
DEAE Sir. have found The pocket hook
you lost ut Stratford on avon at lesst
think it is your pocket book it has your
name in it. Dear Sir hoap you will excuse
my boldness | am single young woman
with no trends Eut my father. he is very
old and feeble and when he die | will be q
loan in the wide world Dear Sir | found
this pocket book and ! thought now is this a
disrenshun of providence perhaps it is my
falt that throws US together, please pardon
this but live a loanly life am 20 years old
am not beautiful but l am good and would
be q trew and faithful wife too good man.
will give the pocket book to no one but
you Dear Sir please anser soon to your
trcwly friend Miss Z. A. care of Miss Flora
Ethel Arlington, Wolverton.
"Well.s' said Fred in establishment
rs he finished reading this singular
epistle. Then he shuddered rs he
thought with dismay Of the contents
Of that dreadful pockct-book, and his
heart sank within him and tremor of
agony came over him rs the vision Of
this misunderstanding rustic in posses
sion Of his lost pocketbook and its
treasured contents presented itself. Not
that he was ashamed Of the sentimental
notes from the pretty little American
girl with whom he had ilrtcd so des-
perately during the Winter-that was
before his engagement to Miss Emmie
Atherford, and for that matter neither
had been the least bit in earnest.
But that unlucky book contained
also half II dozen little missiyes from
..his own Emmie.' and Emmic lived in
old Stratford. quite near enough to
Wolyerton for the finder of the book to
reach her if 50 disposed. And it con-
tanned letter or two from certain ..old
chappies" whose style of CORE
spondence was quite too free End easy
to risk having placed before his
affianced. especially, as he had sworn
to her that he had renowned all his
wicked ways and lived only in the hope
Of becoming worthy of her dainty little
hand and tender little heart. not to
mention her 100000. which latter. Of
course, he did not particularly consider.
Horrors" he said to himself. Il
must get that book from this schem-
ing rustic before she turns her attention
to Emmie. ..What if she should see
those letters from the little New Yorker.
or from handsome Jack or from Bobby
Racket.-or the photograph Of Mile.
Pirouette bearing her autograph sup
plementcd with tie lady's invariable
formula-.with my best love"
1t had never occurred to Fred that
he had lost the book while in Stratford
on visit to his Emmie. He thought
that the streets Of London had ingulfe,i
it and had comfor,ed himself with the
hope that the solitary Bank Of England
note in ii had tempted the finder to
destroy the less useful contents. But
here it had turned up in the hands of a
female octopus, who had reached out
one feeler toward him in a manner to
make his blood curdle. Prompt action
was clearly necessary. He dashed of
the following Geographic message and
sent it:
Miss +. A., care Miss i. Z. Arlington,
Wolyerton: Sorry, but can't marry you.
Am already married. VIII try to make
it up to you some other way. Keep
the pockct-book, but return my letters.
FREDERICK MORTON.
An hour later Miss Flora Ethel Ar.
ington, the lady of Arlington Hail,
stately and elderly, held telegraphic
despatch in her hand. ..Emmie,' sh,
said to the bewitching creature in pink
and white who had responded to her
summons, Il think this is for you,
dear"
The feeling of nervous apprehension
with which every woman opens a telc.
graphic communication did not deter
Emmie from getting Immediately at the
contents. She merely glanced at the